Hot classroom tent abandoned at Holland Primary Students, teachers turn to trees for shade

Grade three students and their teacher Karlene Blake had their first day of school under a mango tree at Holland Primary in St Elizabeth on Monday. (Photos: Naphtali Junior) HOLLAND, St Elizabeth — Scorching heat and poor ventilation under a tent being used as a classroom for second and third graders on Monday drove some Holland Primary School teachers and students to seek relief in the shade provided by a mango tree and a structure made of bamboo. “It is very hot. We attempted using [the tent] this morning, but the heat got the better of us, so [the students and teachers] had to flee. We have been utilising the available trees that we have on the compound now,” Principal Simone Doctor told the Jamaica Observer on Monday as the first day of the new academic year got under way. “We got a double tent and we had expected it to host two classrooms today, so we attempted that, but not even one classroom is in here because of the heat,” she added. The Holland Primary grade three class under a mango tree on Monday. It is unclear when a new classroom block will be built to accommodate staff and the 215 students on roll. Doctor repeated her call for assistance in getting cooling systems for the school which is now using four tents as classrooms. “The idea moving forward is to get some cooling devices. I am going to source some today [Monday], some really powerful fans. We need some portable air-conditioning units, but for now the trees are our best friends,” she said. Grade two students at Holland Primary School seated during their outdoor class under a bamboo structure on Monday. An existing outdoor reading nook made from bamboo was used to shelter grade two students from the scorching sun, while grade three students had their class under a mango tree. “Outdoor classroom is not a unique situation. We have always been utilising outdoor space. Teaching and learning not only takes place within the walls of a building. Having them outside is just basically something that they are used to, [but] not full-time. Today is the first day and they are coping so far and participating. This is not ideal going forward with the weather, so we hope to get those cooling devices to make teaching and learning more comfortable,” said the principal. Recently, the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology and The University of the West Indies Climate Studies Group Mona advised governments, businesses, farmers and households across the region to step up preparations for potentially severe climate extremes as El Niño conditions are set to intensify the hot and dry conditions already affecting parts of the Caribbean. Grade three students at Holland Primary School are all smiles as they participate in their outdoor class on Monday. Both entities warned that the region should remain particularly vigilant as August to October marks the peak of the Caribbean’s heat season. This year’s El Niño is on track to be the strongest on record, threatening to unleash extreme weather across the globe and make 2026 the hottest recorded year by far. That is bad news for schools like Holland Primary. During the Observer’s visit to the school Monday, Doctor said Holland Primary is in dire need of five classrooms to suitably accommodate its students. “The parents were here this morning and they helped us to relocate the chairs under the trees. We have two classrooms on the outside now. Class is going on and students are enjoying themselves. We are doing our best based on the circumstances,” she said, while pointing out that only a small section of a dilapidated building was being used for classes. “We are using one side of the building that is not as bad as it relates to the mould infestation or the leaking. We had to abandon two of the classrooms in that building completely. We are expecting to get two more tent classrooms this week, but if we get the cooling devices it would make it better for us,” she added. She commended parents for turning up half-an-hour earlier than the usual 8:00 am start, a measure put in place to avoid other less popular approaches to maximise the hours available for learning. “The parents are in agreement that they prefer whole-day school over rotation or shift school. The parents really made the effort for the children to be here for the 7:30 am start of school,” the principal said.